PoRTAL: Purdue Repository for online Teaching and Learning
The Purdue Repository for online Teaching and Learning (PoRTAL) digital repository is the go-to resource for anyone interested in online teaching and learning. Are you thinking about moving your courses to an online format? Are you already teaching online and looking for additional ways to engage your students? PoRTAL can help you improve your knowledge and skills as you seek to develop your online courses. Topics include: instructor strategies, course enhancement, pedagogy, active learning, sample tools, and policies to help make your job easier as an online instructor and your courses more engaging for your students.
As you browse through PoRTAL you will discover that each document is complete with an overview of the topic, an outline of evidence-based best practices (as applicable), and tips and tricks for implementing the ideas. We trust PoRTAL will be a powerful resource for you as you continue growing and developing your skills as an online instructor. Please check back regularly as we add more resources to the repository.
Categories on this page:
- Strategies for Online Teaching and Learning
- Getting Started…Thinking about Your Course Design
- Upping your Game
- Policies & Procedures
Strategies for Online Teaching and Learning
Authentic Learning
Prepare learners for the real world by implementing an authentic learning approach that designs learning tasks in real-life situations aiming to support successful knowledge transfer to new contexts.
Active Learning Course Design Course Enhancement Instructional Strategies Pedagogy Student EngagementCase Based Learning
Use case-based learning as a strategy to motivate learners and help them gain experience with real-world problems presented as stories set in professional contexts.
Active Learning Communication Course Design Instructional Strategies Pedagogy Student EngagementDiscussion Board Facilitation
Improve your online course discussions by facilitating dialogue during different times of your online course.
Active Learning Communication Course Design Discussion Boards Instructional Strategies Student EngagementSample Discussion Board Rubric
Instructor Role Adjustment
Become a facilitator in your online course and give learner centered instruction in your online courses.
Getting Started Instructional StrategiesJournaling with Students
Use journaling with your students to encourage self-reflection, to encourage critical thinking, and to build rapport in the online environment.
Online Teaching Persona
Develop your teaching persona to build rapport with your online students.
Communication Discussion Boards Getting Started Instructional Strategies Pedagogy Sample ToolsPosting with Intentionality
Apply strategies to post purposefully and to promote critical thinking and support the development of a learning community.
Communication Discussion Boards Instructional Strategies Student EngagementPrinciples for Online Teaching
Create effective and satisfying online learning experiences for students and teaching experiences for instructors.
Active Learning Course Design Discussion Boards Getting Started Instructional Strategies Student EngagementReadiness to Teach Online
Get ready to teach online. Learn to transfer f2f teaching expertise to online teaching skills.
Social Presence
Create a comfortable environment to promote interaction among students and between students and instructor to promote learning.
Use of Technology to Enhance Language Teaching
Incorporate technology into your course to enhance language teaching and learning, and improve the interaction with and engagement from students.
Getting Students Ready for Peer Reviews
Use peer review as a strategy to provide formative feedback, nurture collaboration, and foster active learning.
Getting Started…Thinking about Your Course Design
Interactive Synchronous Sessions in Online Courses
Make your synchronous sessions interactive and engaging.
Communication Course Design Course Enhancement Instructional Strategies Sample Tools Student EngagementCDD Online Course Evaluation Rubric
Evaluate your online course using the Course Design and Development Rubric. Familiarize with the resources to evaluate your online courses.
Communication Course Design Getting Started Student EngagementCommunity of Inquiry
Use the Community of Inquiry framework to establish teaching, social, and cognitive presences in your online course.
Cultural Competence
Build cultural competence to address the individual needs of online students. Apply practical suggestions to make a culturally sensitive online course.
Communication Course Design Discussion Boards Instructional Strategies PedagogyStudent-Centered Teaching
Apply strategies to encourage the development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes by students.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Maximize student success with multiple means of engagement, representation, action and expression.
Gamification
Engage your online students using gamification strategies and tools.
Information Literacy
Teach correct use of information by integrating information literacy in your online course.
Upping your Game
Gamification
Engage your online students using gamification strategies and tools.
Course Enhancement Instructional Strategies Pedagogy Sample Tools Student Engagement Upping your GameTeamwork
Build teams, create team agreements and promote team activities for greater collaboration and learning
Course Enhancement Instructional Strategies Sample Tools Upping your GameOpen Educational Resources
Adopt Open Educational Resources to customize course materials, improve student satisfaction, and reduce student posts.
21st Century Skills and Online Learning
Provide your online students with the skills and competencies required to meet the needs of the 21st century workplace.
Information Literacy
Teach correct use of information by integrating information literacy in your online course.
Policies & Procedures
Copyright
Identify Copyright best practices and resources for your online course
Accessibility 101
Check for accessibility in your online course through these quick tips and resources
Course Management Strategies
Apply “word to the wise” strategies to manage your online course and guide online learners.
Strategies for Online Academic Integrity
Equip yourself with tools and techniques to prevent plagiarism and to secure online instructional materials and assessments.
Syllabus for Online Teaching
Design a syllabus that lists expectations for course delivery, class participation, assignments, and communication.
Purdue University welcomes your feedback and hopes you will take some time to answer a brief 2 minute survey about PoRTAL.
The development of PoRTAL involves partners from across Purdue University: Teaching and Learning Technologies, Center for Instructional Excellence, Purdue Online, Purdue Libraries, and the academic program Learning Design and Technology (College of Education), essentially bringing together specialists and their knowledge of online teaching and learning into a single location.
PoRTAL Project Team members
Learning Design and Technology (LDT) Program
- Jennifer C. Richardson, Ph.D.
- Mohan Yang, MS
- Daniela Castellanos Reyes, MS
- Shamila Janakiraman, MS
- Mohammad Shams Ud Duha, MA
- Secil Caskurlu, Ph.D.
- Iryna Ashby, MS
- Wanju Huang, Ph.D.
Center for Instructional Excellence (CIE)
- Dan Guberman, Ph.D.
- Karen Neubauer, MA
Teaching and Learning Technologies (TLT)
- James Morris, MS
Purdue Online
- Chris Martin, MS
- Jim Pukrop, MA
Purdue Libraries
- Wei Zakahrov, Ph.D.
ITaP
- Vivian Huai
For questions, comments, or feedback contact the project team at: portal@purdue.edu
